Near field communication (NFC) is a wireless technology allowing two electronic devices in proximity to each other to interact. One example of an NFC system is a payment system allowing a consumer to easily pay for products or services. In operation, the consumer holds an NFC card near a merchant's NFC reader or “taps” the card on the reader. When the card and reader are brought within close proximity to each other—within approximately 10 centimeters—a wireless connection over a 13.56 MHz channel is formed between them and a financial transaction can then take place. In this way, the interaction between consumer and merchant are greatly simplified and can be completed in much less time than conventional systems. Because the transmission distance of NFC devices is very short, the transaction is relatively secure. In addition to payment systems, other examples of NFC implementations may include public transit systems, access control systems, etc.
A personal area network (PAN) is defined as another technology that allows electronic devices in proximity to each other to interact. In comparison with NFC, however, PAN devices can interact within a longer range of up to approximately 10 meters and they communicate at a frequency of 2.4 GHz. Some examples of devices compatible with PAN systems include Bluetooth, Zigbee, infrared data association (IrDA) devices, and ultra wide-band (UWB) devices. PAN devices are normally used for wireless data exchange within a single network for an individual or exclusive group.
Devices that incorporate these and other short range wireless technologies often include mechanisms built into one or both of the two interacting devices for providing a confirmation to the user when a predetermined interaction event has occurred. The interaction events can include the completion of a financial transaction, acknowledgement of an acceptable access control key, acknowledgement of acceptable identification of the user, completion of a service purchase, etc. Other types of indications can be provided to communicate when a device is brought within range of a compatible device, when the device carried out of range of the compatible device, when an error occurs during the interaction, etc.
In one particular example, public transit systems in some cities may allow riders to purchase fare cards that are compatible with card readers located at the various stations within the transit system. When the fare card is brought within range of the card reader, a communication channel is established between the card and reader. Depending on the system's design, the fee for the product or service, i.e., cost of the public transit ride, can be automatically deducted from the value of the fare card. If the card includes sufficient funds, the fee is deducted from the card and the turnstile gate is opened for the rider to enter the train loading area. In addition to the opening of the gate, other indications may be provided to indicate that the transaction has completed successfully. For example, the card reader may provide an auditory cue, such as a beeping noise, a visual cue, such as a green light, and/or a summary of the amount deducted from and the amount remaining on the fare card. If the card does not include sufficient funds, other indications may be provided, such as a different beeping tone, a red light, etc.
In some systems, mobile phones can be used in place of fare cards or purchase cards. Since mobile phones already include auditory output, and often use visual output as well, these output mechanisms of mobile phones can be used to indicate certain events in NFC or PAN systems. In such interactions, purchases can be applied to the user's mobile phone bill.